Right-angle, D-faced electrical connectors are used in the electronics industry as input/output (I/O) devices to interconnect a computer to external peripheral equipment. The contacts of the electrical connector are typically soldered to conductive traces on a printed circuit board at a backwall or panel of the computer. The front face of the connector, in addition to having the D-face for polarization, is mated with a complementary electrical connector which is attached to the peripheral equipment. The electrical contacts are supported in apertures in the insulative housing of the connector with the back ends of the contacts bent at right angles. Each contact terminates in solder posts which extend downward from the connector housing for insertion into through-plated holes in a printed circuit board (PCB) for subsequent soldering thereto. Maintaining the position and alignment of the projecting solder posts for ease of insertion into pre-formed plated through holes in a PCB has been recognized as a desirable feature of these connectors.
Various approaches have been developed to maintain the contact solder posts in a pre-determined, aligned position. For example, one commonly known technique is to form the connector housing to have a slotted locator plate wherein the slots are formed as straight parallel-walled channels which receive U-shaped, resilient retention portions of the contacts in frictional engagement. U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,916 (Hansen) exemplifies this technique.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,376 (Gladd, et al) illustrates another approach where the slots in the connector locator plate are formed to be narrower than the solder posts and which slots are configured to have recesses providing detents to retain the solder posts therein. Another slotted locator plate technique is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,346 (Frantz) wherein the locator plate slots are particularly configured to provide deflectable beams therebetween, the particularly configured slots receiving U-shaped portions of the contact therein. Still further, another approach addressing not only the maintenance of the contacts in a horizontal position but also in a vertical position is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,528 (Frantz) wherein the U-shaped retention portion of the solder posts are particularly configured to have stop shoulders to engage the top or bottom surfaces, or both such surfaces of the locator plate in an effort to prevent vertical movement of the contact in the connector.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an electrical connector wherein the terminal pins projecting therefrom for subsequent soldering to a printed circuit board are maintained in suitable alignment both horizontally and vertically and which also provides relative ease of assembly and effective costs of manufacture.